Middle East

Iran's Gulf Islands: Are They in Trump's Crosshairs?
Iran's Gulf Islands: Are They in Trump's Crosshairs?

Iran has warned the United States about attempting to seize any of its strategic islands in the Gulf -- a move that President Donald Trump is reported to be mulling. AFP looks at potential targets.  Kharg  A strip of scrubland located in the northern Gulf, about 30 kilometres from the coast, Kharg is home to Iran’s largest oil ...

Israel Strikes Key Iranian Naval Facility as U.S. Considers Troop Buildup in Middle East
Israel Strikes Key Iranian Naval Facility as U.S. Considers Troop Buildup in Middle East

Israel on Friday struck a key Iranian naval weapons facility, escalating Middle East tensions as the United States weighs a major troop buildup in the region.  The Israeli military announced that it has carried out a major airstrike targeting what it described as Iran’s most central facility for the production of naval missiles and sea ...

Lebanon Expels Iran’s Envoy, but the IRGC Still Looms Large
Op-edLebanon Expels Iran’s Envoy, but the IRGC Still Looms Large

While Lebanese authorities’ decision to expel Iran’s envoy to the country marks a significant attempt to restore state sovereignty and redefine the bounds of ties between Tehran and Beirut, its practical impact on the ground remains limited. Beirut’s move comes amid an escalating war between Israel and Hezbollah that has underscored the ...

Explaining the U.S. Troop Buildup as Trump Pushes Iran Talks
AnalysisExplaining the U.S. Troop Buildup as Trump Pushes Iran Talks

Amid escalating rhetoric from U.S. President Donald Trump, including threats of further strikes on Iran’s Kharg Island, Washington has signaled openness to negotiations with Tehran.   While Trump has not formally indicated plans to invade Kharg Island, through which 90 percent of Iran’s oil exports flow, he has made ...

Israel Political Unity on Iran War Fractures, Opposition Warns of 'Security Disaster'
Israel Political Unity on Iran War Fractures, Opposition Warns of 'Security Disaster'

Israel's opposition on Thursday signalled an end to the political consensus over the war against Iran — a conflict the military now says requires far more combat troops, particularly on the Lebanese front. "I want to warn the citizens of Israel. We are facing another security disaster," the country's main opposition leader and head of the ...

Hezbollah Boycotts Cabinet Session Over Iran Ambassador Expulsion
Hezbollah Boycotts Cabinet Session Over Iran Ambassador Expulsion

Ministers from Hezbollah and its ally Amal boycotted Lebanon's cabinet session on Thursday in protest after the government declared the Iranian ambassador persona non grata, a Lebanese official told AFP. The two Shia parties have a combined four ministers, while one independent Shia minister was instead present at the meeting, the official said, ...

What is Israel’s Invasion Calculus in Lebanon?
AnalysisWhat is Israel’s Invasion Calculus in Lebanon?

Israel appears poised to dramatically expand its invasion in southern Lebanon, with troops pushing deeper into the country as officials increasingly adopt rhetoric about establishing a buffer zone. On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told local officials in northern Israel that the military was working to expand a “security ...

Oil Jumps, Stocks Drop on Uncertainty Over U.S.-Iran Talks
Oil Jumps, Stocks Drop on Uncertainty Over U.S.-Iran Talks

Oil prices jumped and equities slid Thursday as hopes for a peace deal between the U.S. and Iran wavered after Tehran rejected Washington's bid to wind down the nearly four-week war. Markets had been buoyed this week by U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement that strikes targeting Iran's energy infrastructure would be postponed, adding that ...

Israel Kills IRGC Navy Commander in Precision Airstrike
Israel Kills IRGC Navy Commander in Precision Airstrike

Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz announced Thursday that an Israeli airstrike killed Alireza Tangsiri, commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ navy. “Last night, in a precise and lethal operation, the IDF eliminated the commander of the Revolutionary Guards’ navy, Tangsiri, along with senior officers of the ...

Turkey Relays Messages Between Washington and Tehran
Turkey Relays Messages Between Washington and Tehran

A senior official in the party of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Wednesday that Turkey is relaying messages between the United States and Iran, as efforts intensify behind the scenes to contain a widening regional war. Harun Armagan, deputy head of foreign affairs in the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), confirmed that Ankara ...

IDF Soldier Killed in Lebanon Gunfight as Hostilities Increase
IDF Soldier Killed in Lebanon Gunfight as Hostilities Increase

An Israeli soldier, Staff Sergeant Ori Greenberg of the Golani Brigade’s reconnaissance unit, was killed during a gunfight in southern Lebanon, while four additional IDF troops were injured by Hezbollah mortar fire and another soldier was wounded in a separate incident, according to The Times of Israel. Meanwhile, tensions escalated further as ...

Kuwait Says Arrested Six People Planning 'Assassinations' Linked to Hezbollah
Kuwait Says Arrested Six People Planning 'Assassinations' Linked to Hezbollah

Kuwait arrested six people linked to Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah group who were planning "assassinations" in the Gulf state, the interior ministry said on Wednesday. Those arrested were planning "assassinations targeting symbols and leaders of the state and recruited people to carry out these missions," the ministry ...